City officials in Venice, northern Italy, reported a tragic incident on Tuesday in which a bus carrying tourists to a campground crashed off an overpass, resulting in the loss of at least 21 lives and injuries to 18 individuals. The bus, which was en route to a campground, left the road and plunged near railway lines in the Mestre district, which is linked to Venice by a bridge, as per Reuters.

The cause of the accident remained unclear, with one potential line of inquiry being the health of the 40-year-old Italian driver, who was among the casualties, as suggested by Venice city councillor Renato Boraso. Boraso expressed deep sorrow over the "appalling tragedy" and emphasized that the city was in mourning, as he spoke to Sky Italia television.

The bus had a total of 40 passengers on board, and tragically, 21 lost their lives while 18 sustained injuries. The death toll could potentially increase as several of the injured individuals were in critical condition. Venice's city hall reported that the injured victims had been transported to nearby hospitals, with four in serious condition.

Officials revealed that the bus plummeted approximately 15 meters (50 feet) onto electricity lines and subsequently caught fire at around 7:45 p.m. local time (1745 GMT). Among the victims, five were Ukrainian nationals, and one was from Germany, according to Venice's prefect Michele Di Bari, the local representative of the interior ministry.

The bus also had passengers from France and Croatia, as reported by the Italian news agency ANSA. Di Bari described the bus as severely damaged, and the firefighters encountered challenges in extracting many of the bodies. Tragically, there were children among the victims.

As of late Tuesday evening, rescue teams were still working diligently to clear the bus wreckage to ensure that no more passengers were trapped inside. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni conveyed her condolences and expressed solidarity with the victims, their families, and their friends in a statement.